zoocreation


The Serpent in Scripture



A Creation Exhibit



Photos and text by Chad Arment, 2021



Racer



Copperhead



The Serpent as Archetype



Symbols are important in the Bible. They aid communication of overarching patterns and themes that might otherwise be missed. They foreshadow important events, and echo reminders of the past. The serpent is one such archetype. A superficial reading of Genesis has left a negative impression of snakes on many people, but by recognizing purpose behind the serpent’s symbology within Biblical history and prophesy, we can counter a common error. The Bible does not, in fact, imply that snakes are inherently evil.



Queensnake





Gray Ratsnake





The Garden



In Genesis 3, the Serpent (nachash) converses with Eve, leading to disobedience against God's explicit instructions. Through Adam, sin has entered the physical world. The Serpent, of course, is Satan. We aren't given exhaustive details about this encounter, but it ends in a multi-layered prophecy in verses 14 and 15. Satan is promised that he will be defeated in the future, by the woman's seed. The serpent, whose form Satan is in, is also cursed: there will be enmity between man and snake, and snakes will occupy a position of humility, crawling on their bellies.



Eastern Garter Snake





Eastern Garter Snake (melanistic)





The cross



God's promise to defeat Satan (Genesis 3:15) is part of His plan for salvation. The death of Jesus on the cross, His burial and resurrection, provided the only means of restoring the relationship between God and man. It is only by acknowledging this to God, asking for forgiveness, recognizing our own inability to move beyond rebellion against Him, that we can become a 'new creation' and begin a path of discipleship.


The serpent is prominently featured in a foreshadowing of this. Numbers 21:4-9 gives us the story of impatient Israelites complaining against God's provision as they traveled from Mount Hor to the Red Sea. God sent venomous serpents among them, and many people died before they begged Moses to intervene and admitted their guilt. God told Moses to create a bronze serpent and place it on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by a snake, but turned his eyes on the bronze serpent, would live.



Eastern Milksnake





Northern Watersnake





The Restoration



While the Cross restores the spiritual relationship between God and Man (Romans 5:12-21), God's purpose is to bring the physical world back into a covenantal relationship with Himself (Hosea 2:18). The natural world will be brought back to an Edenic state. Isaiah 11 and 65 both include serpents in the prophesy that tells us that carnivorous and dangerous creatures will be transformed into harmless plant-eaters. Snakes, however, will retain their humble position (Isaiah 65:25). As symbols, snakes remind us of the very real consequences that sin has on us and the world around us. But they should also remind us that Christ has paid the penalty for our sin and actively calls us to repentance and discipleship, and this world awaits restoration from the physical effects of sin.



Dekay's Brownsnake





Copperhead




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2021-2024





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